Tear in Frame

[rolfe.oliver]

Well, this is a strange one. Took the car for its first wash of the season and discovered this 2-inch gash on the inside portion of the body. Car was sold clean title with no accidents. Has anything like this happened to anyone else? Do we think maybe there was an unofficial, unreported accident and repair? Had the car since August 2022 and never noticed this.

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[GrabberBargeCaptain]

I'm pretty sure there's been a few threads about seam sealer breaking down and causing interior water leaks. I don't remember them looking like that though.

 

[rolfe.oliver]

I'm pretty sure there's been a few threads about seam sealer breaking down and causing interior water leaks. I don't remember them looking like that though.

Hmmm, I will look around for that. I was imagining it was some sort of failure and not an impact issue. Unfortunately the corrosion warranty expired in 2022 for me.

 

[K4fxd]

I hate close ups without a wide shot. What part of the car is this?

 

[rolfe.oliver]

I hate close ups without a wide shot. What part of the car is this?

Sorry, inside on the right corner of the trunk

 

[K4fxd]

I'll check my car, but I don't think that is a seam.

 

[ice445]

Looks like a crack in the metal to me. I don't see any deformation around it though, so probably not from an accident. Probably just because these cars are built by the blind and the sheet they used for that section had a defect and it's propagated since the original shaping

 

[StangTime]

Looks like a split in the sheet metal to me as well.

 

[rolfe.oliver]

Looks like a crack in the metal to me. I don't see any deformation around it though, so probably not from an accident. Probably just because these cars are built by the blind and the sheet they used for that section had a defect and it's propagated since the original shaping

Sounds like shit out of luck for me?

 

[CrazyHippie]

Silicone caulk and forget about it.

 

[rolfe.oliver]

Looks like a split in the sheet metal to me as well.

Now I wonder what the proper repair here is

 

[ice445]

Now I wonder what the proper repair here is

New rear fender, including paint and labor. Massive cost for sure if done the right way.
With that said, this isn't likely to cause any problems or allow water into the car, but some seam sealer (and some grabber blue paint) to cover it up would be the route I would take personally.

But because this is a GT350, doing it correctly would be preferable for value reasons.

 

[StangTime]

Now I wonder what the proper repair here is

If you take it to a body shop they will likely remove the paint down to bare metal in the area, add a fillet weld to reinforce and fill the gap, then prime and paint. Luckily the repair will be out of sight, hidden by the trunk when closed. If you get this repaired, ask if they can spray rust proofing behind the repair area to prevent corrosion. The protective coating on the back side of the metal will get burned off during welding.

 

[MAGS1]

Would that be covered by the bumper to bumper?

 

[ice445]

If you take it to a body shop they will likely remove the paint down to bare metal in the area, add a fillet weld to reinforce and fill the gap, then prime and paint. Luckily the repair will be out of sight, hidden by the trunk when closed. If you get this repaired, ask if they can spray rust proofing behind the repair area to prevent corrosion. The protective coating on the back side of the metal will get burned off during welding.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's the fender edge that's cracked and it's aluminum which can be tricky to weld. Not that it can't be done of course, but it can also be tricky to stop cracks from restarting at the ends from thermal expansion and such unless you drill holes in each. Not sure how the fender is rolled over the box section there and if it can be drilled without affecting the metal underneath?

I could be totally off though.

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